ABRI | Paris 10

Abri is one of the best newcomers on the Parisian culinary scene, nothing less. Everything we had was perfectly cooked, and the staff was very professional. Our only disappointement? Probably the lack of space. But you know, real estate in Paris can be a pain.

Abri is a great deal for those afraid of spending hundreds on a meal. For dinner, there’s a single prix fixe menu, consisting in three small appetizers, two mains and one dessert. I’m usually disappointed by those restaurants restraining my ability to choose what I want to eat, but this time it was worth it.

We started off with an asparagus, not too cooked so it remained slightly crunchy. It came with two parmesan cheese gnocchis which were tender and flavorful.

Then we had grilled shrimps coming with lentils and a mushroom cream. I looked suspicioulsy at the combination of lentils and mushroom but it actually worked pretty well. The cream was not too rich, the shrimps perfectly grilled.

Our final appetizer was not as brilliant as the first two ones: celery velouté with a scoop of grapefruit sorbet. It was very subtle, the flavors were nonetheless powerful but I’m not a big fan of the combination.

Duck magret came grilled, its skin was incredibly crispy, the sauce was dense enough and not overwhelming. There were also a few delicious carrots and a sort of squash which I really liked.

Then, we had a great sea bass, perfectly cooked with a bunch of flavorful beans and a sort of espuma which flavor I don’t remember. What I do remember though is that this dish was particularly exceptional.

For dessert we had the chocolate fondant topped with an intense cacao sorbet. That was incredible though I’m the only one to be so stucked: my pals are not exactly newcomers as they’ve been mentioning Abri for months now.

The chef at Abri executes a solid cuisine which is almost on par with the very best. It was subtle, precise and sharp as a japanese kitchen knife. The diner menu is a real deal at Abri, it comes at the price of €38,50. The space is somewhat confined, and the most claustrophobic will probably not be at their best but it’s worth it though.